San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1887-02-03

mark" but Mike cared nothing for
this rs everybody had consoled him ut
the time the accident occurred with the
information that his recovery was out
of the question.
The stable occupies three stories of
the huge building, which covers n
square. The descent to the floor below
the grade of the street is MS steep rs the
ascc 1T to the floor above the ground,
hut the horses manage to make the trips
without accident. Each horse, or
rather each pair of horses, for every
horse has male, is expected to work
three hours per day. A team which
stats from Harlem makes one round
trip, daily. Ii an accident happens to
a horse while on duty the driver in
forms the foreman of il, with the attend
ant circumstances. Ii driver fails to
do this and the negligence is discovered,
the company has no farther use for him.
The bes, possible care is taken OF the
stock for Obvious reasons.
Car horses are injured in variety OF
ways. They run the greatest risks
during the hottest part of the summer
and the coolest of winter. These two
periods aggregate about four and half
months. The month OF September was
the hcrdcst month of the year for car
horses. An intensely warm term came
on the heels of Il cool period and the re-
suit was the prostration Of n large num-
Der of ear horaes in this city as well as
in many other parts of the country.
Leaving intensely lot and cold weather
out of the question, the most periloas
season for the car horse is dry, windy
weather The cobble stones over VIII, ch
he travels are then as smooth as pol
ished glass. Not a particle OF amy
foreign sub ,tancc can get footEo.d on
them, and the sharply-shod hoof will
slip from them with the same case rs
the human foot Will slide Off the smooth
side of banana skin. Some OF the
roadbeds oiler even more than the usual
facilities for accidents of this nature.
They are constructed on the shape OF n
watershed, sloping from the center to
the tracks. On these the car horse has
II hard time indeed in wintry and windy
weather. Comparatively few acc ln!s
happen in wet weather. Unless they
happen 20 break limb, only n small
o. c3ntage Of horses which slip and fall
suffer pc.mancntinjury With rest and
care they genera ly recover from sprains
and strains. Out of seventeen hundred
horses the Third Avenue Company
loses but one week, according to its
foreman. The latter has ninety-three
hostlers under his eye, besides large
number OF mcn I'm Jloyed i'll other
capacities Each hostlor is expected to
Inr,ls I,Iu and In
feed and bed them.
The stables are as clean rs it is posi-
BILE to keep them. Tie horses are in
kt eping with their surroundings.
Horses are purcha ,cd alta seasons, lut
the lest are bought in tho fall. Tho
seller is willing to take much less at
The ! eg ming than ut the end of winter
The company has standing price OF
%155. Some splendid spec mems OF
horse fejh have been bought for this
figure. Gray is the co,or preferred.
Horses of this color are said 10 snlei
less from the he than blacks and bays.
/ From eight to ten iO"s1s are Ii ed IN a
fnow sweeper, and one team Possessed
| by the company attract much attcnt on
as they rattle through the avenue. Tie
ten erays whrl the uoe sweeper alo1 g
as if it were lightroad-wagon Sever
al Of these horses stand seventeen hands
high. Every new purchase is subject to
an attack of pinkoye. This is attr.b'
uted to change of climate and sur
round ngs. Most OF the horses come
from the West, and they are .sund to
require from week to two weeks to
obtain their "sea legs" 1t is com
mon opinion that the Let of the car
horse IS not happy one. In compari-
son with the fate of large num5er OF
horses which receive but little sympa-
thy, the car horse is to be greatly en-.
We'd. He is not overworkcd; be is 'a'c:
fed, well housed and is seldom III trca.
ed with imDunstv.-M y IribHne.